I flew the 2013 10m for about 20 minutes. It's a pretty straightforward all-around kite, not too much to be said about it. It has light bar pressure, flies mostly off the centre lines and is fairly responsive for a bridled kite. easy to jump with. Handled gusts well. The bar was nice, easy to trim. Seemed like it was all high quality.

Do any of you Airush riders know when Airush will come out with their 2014 kites? I'm trying to hold off buying a new 14m until the 2014's come out so I can try to find a deal on the 2013. Thanks for any help.

Can anyone compare the low end of a 2013 Lithium 10 vs. a 2011 LF Havoc 12? Thinking of replacing the Havoc and I have read that the Lithium 10 has good low end, I wonder if it equals the Havoc's. Anyone flown both? I'm 185 lbs. I have a 2012 Lithium 14 LW which has great low end and good hangtime.

I am running 2013 Lithiums in both 10m & 14m. This is my second season on Lithiums and I had the exact same quiver in the 2012 models. Before that had a 2011 Switchblade 14m.I am a low-end intermediate with 2 years of kiting. I weigh in at 116kg and am using a 142cm Airush Crossover and 5'10" Slingshot Dialer for light wind and surf. Can mush round to toe-side (poorly) and pull off carving turns to heel-side fairly consistently - just can't do it the other way round yet.

Having said all that, the Lithiums have been great kites for me. Solid and stable with great relaunch. The 2013 model took a little while to dial in - don't really know why, but suspect it was rear line length. On the 2012 models I tied an extra knot to lengthen the rear lines. Doing this on the 2013 kites wasn't the same, but after a few sessions found the sweet spot on the out-of-the-box set up. Agree with other posters, the 2013 bar pressure is lighter.

Wind range is excellent, was at Rye last Sunday (11/8) and running the 14m in 25 knots down to 18-19 knots around mid-day. The 14 does get a bit hard to handle around 25 knots and tops out. But the 10m ussually is OK from 22-23 knots and tops out at a smidge over 30 knots.

Will be going Airush for 2014

Last edited by Corkyboy on Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

At 79 kg, my 12m Lithium is good from 10 to about 17 knots. I can not ride my 12m Lithium at 25 knots at my weight, it is not a high wind kite. I just want to make a point that weight plays huge into wind range, I don't think most people could start using a Lithium 10 m at 22-23 knots as mentioned above, although it may work at 116 kg.

I'm about 175-180 pounds and I can use may 10M lithium (2013) from about 12 knots to 25. 25 is the absolute maximum, full depower required. I say up to about 20 knots gusting to 25 is just fine, but I need to switch down after that. .

Can anyone compare the low end of a 2013 Lithium 10 vs. a 2011 LF Havoc 12? Thinking of replacing the Havoc and I have read that the Lithium 10 has good low end, I wonder if it equals the Havoc's. Anyone flown both? I'm 185 lbs. I have a 2012 Lithium 14 LW which has great low end and good hangtime.

big lithium 12 and esp 14 have excellent efficiency - less grunt, where the smaller ones have progressively more punch in low end, the way it should be... they are good kites, much loved around the UK, I'd say the most relevant of the range for 80% of all riders, and for a delta very forward turning, which is something not to be underestimated!

running the 14m in 25 knots down to 18-19 knots around mid-day. The 14 does get a bit hard to handle around 25 knots and tops out.

that's a lot of wind for the 14 in the UK!! whoa... I top it out at around 17kts @80kg... do you not find it more fun using a smaller kite than a larger kite?

I'd also say that all the airush kites do handle very well on depower - the v4 bridle system allows full steering and excellent control under really high levels of depower, so they top out before the handling becomes poor - yet they still retain cutting edge levels of precise handling and bar feedback - a testament to the engineering. It's still no excuse though - you should always use the smallest kite you can get away with - it's more fun

running the 14m in 25 knots down to 18-19 knots around mid-day. The 14 does get a bit hard to handle around 25 knots and tops out.

that's a lot of wind for the 14 in the UK!! whoa... I top it out at around 17kts @80kg... do you not find it more fun using a smaller kite than a larger kite?

I'd also say that all the airush kites do handle very well on depower - the v4 bridle system allows full steering and excellent control under really high levels of depower, so they top out before the handling becomes poor - yet they still retain cutting edge levels of precise handling and bar feedback - a testament to the engineering. It's still no excuse though - you should always use the smallest kite you can get away with - it's more fun

Agreed, I'm 85 kg and would never fly my '12 14LW over 20, I think it would stretch the kite out if I did. I can easily fly my Havoc 10 at 20 knots.

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